Avoiding The Munchies To Lose Weight

Getting away from those sweets or doughnuts can be one of the biggest tasks a person on a diet can face. It’s no denying that eating healthier is a discipline that we can’t all practice, but there are easy ways to help a person practice healthy eating and cut down on the carbs that’s causing all the fats. In fact, being in a good mood can help and the study conducted by the University of Delaware showed that being happy and in a good mood can give you the 77% probability of eating healthier.

A series of experiments were conducted amongst volunteers undergoing different emotions such as being sad, upbeat, and neutral. Results showed that people with a sour or neutral mood reach more for comfort food such as candy, chips, or cookies, compared to people with a more positive mood.

One possible explanation for this, according to Meryl Gardner Ph.D, is that people in a bad mood focus more on things that they can easily reach and that can give them immediate gratification. Being on a good mood on the other hand, allows us to be more logical and see the bigger picture. This includes the possible consequences to every action taken. With this mindset, it makes it easier for a person to decide things that will benefit him or her in the long run, such as opting for fresh fruits than reaching out for a chocolate bar in the cupboard.

With this line of logic as their guide, scientists also conducted further tests and found out that forward thinking can also affect the choices of snacks. One test included asking the participants to envision their lives in ten years, like where they see themselves and what kind of health status they see themselves in. Results showed that participants that daydream about their future ate fewer pieces of chocolate and more raisings, compared to participants who were told to think of their present lives.

Envisioning a brighter future can lighten up the mood and make a person happier. So if you’re doing the grocery shopping and find it hard to keep yourself from grabbing all those munchies and putting them in your card, let your mind wander and daydream about your future. It can be about your plans of starting running again and joining the marathon, or what your home will look like in half a decade. However, you don’t have to limit yourself to such thoughts, because you can always think of things that make you happy.

Self – discipline especially when going on a diet can be tough, especially to those who have always been used to resorting to comfort foods in times of stress and boredom. Eating healthier takes a lot of steps and it can start by researching which food to avoid and which ones can contribute to losing more pounds. If you can, bring packed lunch with you so you can control your serving and always have fruits or healthy bars for dessert.